How the Elks of Canada’s Children’s Charity Helped Our Son

This summer we will be flying back out to Philadelphia to go back to the IAHP. This time I will have my hubby and Little Z Man in tow. Z will be going for a full evaluation and a complete program custom made for our Z. I will also be taking the Lecture Series 2, which is a continuation to the course I took in September.

As you can image this will not be cheap. We have to fly to Philly, stay in a hotel for 7 days, rent a car to transport us, and then the actual cost of the evaluation and lectures. I started looking for grants and financial assistance. Last year I found the Elks & Royal Purple Fund for Children.

So I decided to contact their head office last year. They put me through to our local lodge. A man named Dave from the lodge came and met with me and Z. But since we were not going to be going till August of 2017, and the lodge was closing down for the winter, I held on to the paper work till April. Honestly it took me a while to get the letters I needed from different doctors.

Come April I tried to contact Dave, but he was still out of town. So I was put in contact with a man named Dave. He took our application to the local lodge and they voted on it to see if our cause was something they wanted to sponsor. I was so excited when I got an email back saying this was something they wanted to back, and we moved on to the next step in the process. Dennis then helped me get the paper work to their head office and gather up other documents they required.

While I was really hoping we would get the financial aid, I was mentally preparing myself that we might not.

Then one day I got this email from Dennis:

Congratulations Monique we were successful when the cheque arrives we will make a formal presentation to you and Zakari. no doubt with our regalia on.
We will have pictures taken for our Elks magazine and when you get a receipt from Achievement of Human Potential we will require a copy for Agnes.

We wish you a successful trip to Philadelphia.

I was over the moon thrilled. All our hard work and determination had paid off. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The Elks of Canada were paying for our evaluation appointment. We had managed to get an amazing deal on our flights, accommodations and car rental. We had saved and were able to pay cash for that part. The fact our family did not have to go into more debt to get our son the help he needs was just amazing. It lifted such a burden off our shoulders.

When the cheque arrived, we went down the the local lodge’s bi-monthly meeting. It was so nice to meet all the people who had stood up and backed up our son. I was nervous about the whole meeting, because sometimes Z gets worked up in a group of people. However I was super proud of him. He said “hello” and thanked them for helping him. He did spot a box of Tim Horton’s donuts from across the room, and ask for one. Of course they told me he could have one, but they didn’t offer because they don’t know about allergies and stuff. Of course we declined as Z is gluten free and wouldn’t feel well afterwards. Since it was so close to bedtime, I was worried he was going to hit the ground and have a full force tantrum. But I told him we had gluten free ones at home and he was fine with that. However it was one of those “Out of the Mouth of Babe” moments. Here they wonderful people are giving him thousands of dollars for therapy, and all he wants is a Timmie’s donut.

Everyone there was so welcoming and kind. They asked questions about our journey. Also about the program itself. They also seemed so happy to have been able to help us. I could tell that helping children is truly a passion for this group of men and women.

They are now part of our journey to wellness. In the future, when Little Z is completely well, we will look back and show him this picture and tell him these are only a few of the people from the Elks, that helped you get the help you needed.

So in 17 days, we will be jumping on a jet plane and starting a whole new adventure. I have such high hopes for this trip. This life changing step towards wellness.

Thank you to the Elks of Canada, especially Winnipeg Lodge No.10. To our family, you are angels with purple wings.

Check out the video below. This was after we visited the Elks meeting.